Hamilton's Sofa Gallery

[redacted]
I apologize for providing giving more detail about the arrival of your ottoman. I think it is safe to say that you should be able to take delivery by or before the end of April. According to the manufacturer the ottoman will be loaded and ready for shipment by April 15th. I think we should have it within a week of that date. Once we have our hands on the piece we should be able to deliver it to you very quickly. I hope this information is helpful and I again apologize for the delays with your order.Thanks,Alex F[redacted]Hamilton Sofa and Leather Gallery

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

We are very sorry to hear that [redacted] is unhappy with her experience at Hamilton's. As a small family owned business we do our very best to take care of each and everyone of our customers. Unfortunately we are not perfect and like any other company we occasionally make mistakes,I believe...

[redacted]’s main complaint is that she has been given different delivery information from different members of our staff. It is certainly possible that some of my staff was more helpful then others when checking [redacted]'s order status. Some might have merely looked in our system for a delivery date while others, being more proactive, may have placed a call to the factory for more up to date information. For that I am very sorry. I will speak with my employees about properly researching the order status of special orders. I understand that it would be very frustrating to be told different information on different occasions. Some of this confusion was probably caused by Hamilton’s own internal issues. The main reason for the confusion is that we were told that [redacted]’s sofa left the factory on 8-13-14 by the manufacturer (it did leave then) but has taken longer then normal to arrive to our warehouse. Typically it takes 3-10 days for a shipment to arrive at our warehouse after it ships. Her sectional will have taken just over two weeks to get from the factory to our warehouse and is due in this week. I will personally track [redacted]'s order every day until it comes in so that she gets it promptly after we take possession of it.According to the special order contract we wrote up and [redacted] signed we promised her a delivery within approximately 8-10 weeks after her purchase date (6-10-14). By the time we receive her pieces it will have taken around 11 weeks. Technically her order is not late as all dates are approximate. I will attach a copy of her original invoice with this letter. As a courtesy to [redacted] we have already refunded her $89 which is the cost of her delivery fee. Since [redacted]'s order is not really late we feel this is more then fair. Again, we apologize for any conflicting or confusing information she was given and hope that she likes her furniture enough to forgive us for any mistakes we have made.Thank you for your time,Alexander FSales Manager Hamilton Sofa and Leather Gallery

Review: On June 10, 2014, I purchased a special order sectional sofa from Hamiltons Sofa and Leather Gallery in [redacted], Virginia. At that time, I paid $88.90 as a deposit towards the sofa. On June 11, my husband returned to the store and paid the remaining balance for the purchase. At this time, we were provided a receipt that indicated the estimated delivery date was August 10. During the week of August 4, 2014, I called the store to check on the status of the sofa and was told it would arrive later that week or early the next week. I called back again on August 11 and was told the sofa would arrive that week. On August 19, 2014, I went into the store and was advised the computer indicated the sofa would ship on August 19. The employee placed a call to the manufacturer and was told the sofa had shipped on August 13. On August 20, I called and talked to the store manager who "promised" the sofa would arrive by Friday. The manager also indicated to me there was no way to track the truck the sofa was on. The manager called me on Friday to tell me the sofa had not yet arrived and said that it was located in Mississippi. The manager did refund the delivery cost at that time, but that is only $89.00 of an almost $2,300 purchase. During this time, I also placed a call to Hamiltons Customer Service Center hoping to get more answers. However, they basically told me that they did not know when the sofa would arrive because they cannot track the trucks, and there was nothing they could do about it except for me to be patient. At this time, the sofa has still not arrived and there is still no set date of arrival except that I was told it would arrive "Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of this week" and there is nothing else that can be done.Desired Settlement: I believe it is bad business to be unable to track such a large purchase. At this time, I am afraid that the couch will not arrive at all or that when it arrives, it will be damaged because it has apparently been on a truck for so long. I am unsatisfied with the nonchalant attitude of the employees at Hamiltons and at their Customer Service Center. In addition, I do not have any sofas in my house because in preparation for the "delivery," we sold ours. I would like some sort of compensation from Hamiltons for the time I have had to put into attempting to get some assistance in locating the sofa.

Business

Response:

We are very sorry to hear that [redacted] is unhappy with her experience at Hamilton's. As a small family owned business we do our very best to take care of each and everyone of our customers. Unfortunately we are not perfect and like any other company we occasionally make mistakes,I believe [redacted]’s main complaint is that she has been given different delivery information from different members of our staff. It is certainly possible that some of my staff was more helpful then others when checking [redacted]'s order status. Some might have merely looked in our system for a delivery date while others, being more proactive, may have placed a call to the factory for more up to date information. For that I am very sorry. I will speak with my employees about properly researching the order status of special orders. I understand that it would be very frustrating to be told different information on different occasions. Some of this confusion was probably caused by Hamilton’s own internal issues. The main reason for the confusion is that we were told that [redacted]’s sofa left the factory on 8-13-14 by the manufacturer (it did leave then) but has taken longer then normal to arrive to our warehouse. Typically it takes 3-10 days for a shipment to arrive at our warehouse after it ships. Her sectional will have taken just over two weeks to get from the factory to our warehouse and is due in this week. I will personally track [redacted]'s order every day until it comes in so that she gets it promptly after we take possession of it.According to the special order contract we wrote up and [redacted] signed we promised her a delivery within approximately 8-10 weeks after her purchase date (6-10-14). By the time we receive her pieces it will have taken around 11 weeks. Technically her order is not late as all dates are approximate. I will attach a copy of her original invoice with this letter. As a courtesy to [redacted] we have already refunded her $89 which is the cost of her delivery fee. Since [redacted]'s order is not really late we feel this is more then fair. Again, we apologize for any conflicting or confusing information she was given and hope that she likes her furniture enough to forgive us for any mistakes we have made.Thank you for your time,Alexander FSales Manager Hamilton Sofa and Leather Gallery

Review: When the sofa was delivered by Hamilton's designated delivery company to take it to the top floor, due to our narrow stairway, we asked the delivery company to stop taking it to the top floor. They would not listen and kept saying they could do it and by the time the sofa was squeezed to the top floor, the fabric was damaged. I did not sign the invoice for the remaining half of the purchase price. The delivery company wrote on the invoice that they would repair the damage, which meant that I would not pay the full amount until the damage was fixed. Hamilton called us to say that their delivery company presented them with a 'Waive of Liability' form with my signature, as a result, while Hamilton would agree to provide repair, I was asked to pay half of the repair cost which we did not agree as I did not sign any form on the delivery day. We requested numeral times to show us the original 'Waive of Liability' form with my signature, which Hamilton could not provide. I do not know how they did it, they managed to get the remaining half purchase price from my credit card company, even though I never signed the invoice to agree paying the balance. I asked Hamilton to show us the original 'Waive of Liability' form with my wet signature. Hamilton told me that the document had been discarded. I think the business purchase documentation has the minimum retention period of three years. If Hamilton or its delivery company could not produce the original Waive form with my wet signature within a year after the purchase, it is because there has never been one, or someone forged such a form.. There have been many, many calls between Hamilton and myself but the issue has not been resolved. Hamilton never came to get the damaged fabric repaired, yet they went away with the full price. I do not know the legal implication of forging a false form and drawing the remaining balance of the purchase price from my credit company without my consent. I hope the Revdex.com Bureau with its fair and just business standards and policies will come forward to defend us to get my sofa properly repaired. We also request a refund since the sofa we got stuck with was damaged, which is no longer worthy of its original purchase price. Please help us.Desired Settlement: I do not know if we are talking about desired outcome, as I think Hamilton legally and ethically owes the full repair service with a refund to adjust the original purchase price.

Business

Response:

Dear **. [redacted],

I personally spoke with and attempted to help **. ** (She used the name [redacted] on when she purchased from us) with her issues. [redacted]. **/[redacted] bought a queen sleeper sofa from our establishment nearly a year ago on 8/25/12. Upon delivery of the sofa [redacted]. [redacted] asked our delivery team to take the sofa up to the top level of her house. Our delivery team repeatedly told her that the item was too large to go up the stairs and that we offer a “breakdown” service, at a charge, to disassemble the piece in order to make it fit into tight spaces. [redacted]. [redacted] did not want to pay the $160.00 for that service and insisted the team try to take the sofa upstairs. Since the delivery men knew this would create an issue they asked [redacted]. [redacted] to sign a waiver of liability form excusing them and us from any liability. [redacted]. [redacted] signed the waiver which I will provide you with a copy of. When the men attempted to take the sofa to the upper level the fabric was snagged and the wall was slightly scratched. As a result [redacted]. [redacted] refused to pay her balance. Many conversations took place between me and [redacted]. [redacted] after that. Even though Hamilton’s was in no way liable for the damage to her piece, and even though [redacted]. [redacted] was warned repeatedly about the risks Hamilton’s attempted to help her. Hamilton’s offered to pay half of the price to repair her damaged sofa as a courtesy. Obviously we are not required to do that and most furniture companies would not offer her any help since she signed a waiver.

[redacted]. [redacted] refused this help and insisted that the problem was our fault alone. She demanded that if we did not fix her piece we should take it back at no charge to her. After repeatedly going back and forth and explaining that she had been warned and that she had signed a waiver of liability form we were not able to come to a mutually agreeable solution. At that point I called the credit card company, explained the situation, and asked if it was within my rights to charge [redacted]. [redacted]’s credit card for the balance due. Since the piece was in her home and she had signed for it they instructed me to charge her card which I did. Soon after [redacted]. [redacted] called back and complained that we charged her card and threatened action against us. I again offered to absorb half of the cost for repairing her piece but she still didn’t agree, Hamilton’s is in no way responsible for what happened, we have all the documentation signed by [redacted]. [redacted] and have offered her services we are in no may required to offer her. We have gone above and beyond to help her and spent a lot of valuable time. Unfortunately she does not seem to take any responsibility for her actions and even went so far as to accuse us of forging her signature over a $1215.00 sofa. Hamilton’s has been serving customers for over 25 years and we do not take advantage of or provide poor service to any customer. We have been more then fair with [redacted]. [redacted] yet she repeatedly wasted her and our time by not accepting the offers we have extended her. What happened is unfortunate and we will still pay for half of [redacted]. [redacted]’s repairs if she wishes to have them done but in doing so we are doing her a favor. I hope that we can resolve this issue once and for all and both move forward with our busy lives.

Thanks,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Sun, Aug 4, 2013 at 4:42 PM

Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania in regards to your complaint #[redacted].

To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

Thank you very much for the prompt follow-up regarding my complaint. Hamilton's response did not state the truth.Number 1: On the delivery date, it was me who asked quite a few times the delivery company to stop moving up the sofa due to our narrow stairway. The moving gentlemen kept saying that they could do it and insisted on moving it.Number 2: There was no 'Waive of Liability' form which was presented on the delivery date for me to sign and I did not sign any such form. Please look at the date 10/19/2012' on the copy of the so-called 'Waive of Liability' form. 10/19/2012 was the originally planned delivery date. Due to our conflict schedule, I called to reschedule the delivery date to a week later of 10/26/2012. Therefore, the sofa was delivered on the 26th of October 2012. How could a 'Waive' form be signed a week before the actual delivery date? I pointed out the discrepancy in my earlier letter to my credit company----please see the attached. More than once have I requested to see the evidence of that original form with my wet signature, but Hamilton has not been able to provide it. They kept telling me that the form had been discarded. How can any business lose a legally binding documentation in less than a year of the transaction, especially in this case when the sofa fabric was damaged during the moving? Anyone would think that the delivery company as well as Hamilton would hang on to such an original form to prove that I agreed to the liabilities of damage. If no such form with my wet signature can be provided, and with the delivery date discrepancy, it is not hard for anyone to agree that there was not such a genuinely signed waive form.So, please ask Hamilton to work with their delivery counterparts to produce the original waive form showing my wet signature. Otherwise, Hamilton is liable for the damage caused by their delivery counterpart and also the forged waive form fabricated by the same delivery counterpart. I hope both Hamilton and its delivery company understand the legal implication of fabricating a false 'Waive of Liability' form.Thanks again.Regards,[redacted] 08/04/13

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 12:06 PM

Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania in regards to your complaint #[redacted].

To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

We have not changed anything from the very beginning of the delivery. Unless the delivery company deleted their record, its phone log and delivery schedule record should show that I called to request and was confirmed a delivery reschedule date from 10/19/2012 to 10/26/2012.Anyway, since [redacted] claimed that he does have the 'Waive of Liability Form' with my wet signature, (I hope he knows the difference between a genuine, wet signature and a copied one), please ask him to show us that form. I want to see that form in person. And if that turns to be my genuinely signed form, I will withdraw my complaint.Regards, [redacted]

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Hi [redacted]:We went to Hamilton and met with [redacted] to see the so-called original Waive form with my signature:As said earlier, the date on the form was 10/19/2012, a full week before the actual rescheduled delivery date. It is not hard for anyone to question the pre-delivery date presented a week later for the customer to sign to wonder the form's validity.The so-called original form is still a copy. The '1/3' on the upper right corner, which indicated the total number of fax from [redacted] the .delivery company to Hamilton, should be handwritten when [redacted] prepared the fax, But after we pointed that out, [redacted] verification to see that '1/3' was a copy. The other contents on the form were handwritten.Please look at the signature of my name on the waive form. We got a copy of that signed form from [redacted] and I am attaching three copies here, which we will also send to [redacted] at Hamilton:the copy of the waive form with a signature of my name;Two copies of Hamilton's invoices with my genuine signature at the time of the purchase.The differences between the signatures on the waive form and Hamilton's invoices are not difficult to see. While my genuine signatures show more rounded and feminine strokes, the signature on the waive form shows more rigid and hard-lined strokes. Please look at the '*' of [redacted]---I have a kind of curve starting the *, while the signature on the waive started with a straight stroke. Even the ending 'n' of [redacted] shows subtle difference. Now look at the '*' of my last name [redacted]---again, my vertical stroke reveals more feminine characteristics with a more rounded semi circle, while the signature on the waive form shows a very strong rigid vertical stroke with a much narrow quarter circle, and again, the ending 'n' of my last name also has subtle different ending touches.Again, as said before, the delivery company did not present such a waive form for me to sign on 10/26/2012, and I never signed any form. I can only say that the signature on that form was fabricated. I hope the delivery company should be aware any legal implications with such fabrication. As we told [redacted] that day, this has nothing to do with him since he was not there when we purchased the sofa. We are fully aware and fair to say that the fabrication came from the delivery company. Since we do not have any contract with [redacted]--- the delivery company---we could only hold Hamilton to get this issue resolved. We have nothing against Hamilton. We only want justice to have the damage mended without having to share with the repair cost, and we think we deserve a discount due to a damaged merchandise plus almost a year of wrong accusations blaming us for being liable for the damage.Thanks again [redacted],

Regards,

Hi [redacted]: